Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to be the next permanent Director of National Intelligence.
Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and previously served as chairman of the SEC during Trump's first term from 2017 to 2020.
The nomination comes after significant congressional pushback over Trump's interim pick of Bill Pulte for the role. Lawmakers on both sides raised concerns about installing an acting DNI without Senate confirmation for a position that oversees 18 intelligence agencies.
Clayton's background is primarily in law and financial regulation, not intelligence. He spent decades as a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell before leading the SEC, where he oversaw enforcement actions and capital markets policy.
His time as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan has involved high-profile financial crime and national security cases. Trump said Clayton would serve in his cabinet if confirmed.
The DNI role has been a revolving door this term, and the nomination signals Trump's preference for loyalists with legal and financial backgrounds in senior national security positions.
Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and previously served as chairman of the SEC during Trump's first term from 2017 to 2020.
The nomination comes after significant congressional pushback over Trump's interim pick of Bill Pulte for the role. Lawmakers on both sides raised concerns about installing an acting DNI without Senate confirmation for a position that oversees 18 intelligence agencies.
Clayton's background is primarily in law and financial regulation, not intelligence. He spent decades as a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell before leading the SEC, where he oversaw enforcement actions and capital markets policy.
His time as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan has involved high-profile financial crime and national security cases. Trump said Clayton would serve in his cabinet if confirmed.
The DNI role has been a revolving door this term, and the nomination signals Trump's preference for loyalists with legal and financial backgrounds in senior national security positions.
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